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Temp staffing to stay!

Young and promising career aspirants have no hang-ups about job security like their parents had and are increasingly looking at temporary roles ( most of these assignments are on contractual terms) – offering better money, career-jump and a quicker rise to top!

Temp staffing industry in India, less than fifteen years old, has nearly 6,00,000 employees on its pay rolls as on today. While I was in Kores India in 1998, I came to know that Hewlett Packard Sales India Pvt Ltd outsourced most of its sales force from the temp staffing firm, Solutions Integrated Services Pvt Ltd, headed by IIT/IIM alumni Mr Srikant Sastri as its owner/ MD. Firstly, it looked odd to me; why a MNC of Hewlett Packard size would engage in temporary staffing? Way back then, this development suggested that for the first time, the Indian workforce is putting opportunity ahead of security. The carrots – better working atmosphere, exposure to process oriented systems, more money and organization brand like that of Hewlett Packard. Many left/ quit permanent jobs to move into temporary roles. Eventually, this made sense because those who worked in this atmosphere learned a lot quicker and got exposed or mastered process oriented systems. In effect, they turned out smarter due to being exposed to fast paced learning environment; they had to ‘perform’ to stay put in the assignment; they took on leadership roles to deliver results expected out of them ‘quickly’. And, few got absorbed as permanent employees if they were great performers! What exactly do employees lose when they leave permanent jobs?? nothing much, it seems.

Talk of ’employ-ability guarantee’ – it is just that those employees who opt for temporary roles know well they will get another assignment after their exit from their temporary roles. Got the stuff, flaunt it! right?